Checker-board game.



No. 665,505. Patohted Ian. 8,191". 0. BUTTGENBAGH. OHEGKER 'BGARD GAME.

(Lpplicltion fllud Nov. 18, 1999.)

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I 6% (A W WW- NITE CHECKER-BOARD GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,505, dated January 8, 1901.

Application filed November 13, 1899. Serial No. '73 6,810. 'INo model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CONRAD BtiTreENBAcH, residing at Hamburg, Germany, have in vented a certain new and useful Checker-Board Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to game apparatus for playing games on boards of the class known as chess or checker boards, object being to provide means whereby an extremely entertaining and instructive game may be played.

WVith this object in view the in ven-tion consists in the improved series of game-pieces hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate myinvention, Figure 1 representsa plan view of one of the game-pieces of one set of either of the subseries. Fig. 2 represents a similar view of the corresponding piece of another set of either subseries. Fig. 3 represents a similar view of the corresponding piece of a third set of either subseries. Fig. 4 represents an inverted plan view of one of the game;pieces. Fig. 5 represents a plan view of a game-board with the whole series in place thereon in the positions from which to begin a game.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts wherever they occur in the several figures of the drawings.

In this specification the whole number of pieces will be designated as a series, each players pieces as a subseries, and each row of pieces in each subseries as a set,of pieces.

Referring to the drawings by letters,and especially to Fig. 5, in which, as before stated, the pieces are shown in position to begin a game, A, A A A and A Fig. 5, indicate the front, B, B B B and B the middle, and 0, O G G and O the rear rows or sets of pieces of one player forming one subseries of pieces, while D D D D D E E E E 13 and F F F F4 F indicate the corresponding sets of pieces of the opposing player forming the other subseries of pieces.

G indicates aboard of the chess or checker board class divided in this instance into one hundred squares in ten rows of ten squares each, each row having alternate squares colored light and dark and the darksquares of each row adjoining the light squares of the next row, all in the manner usual with such boards. Of these squares, H I J indicate the first three rows on one side of the board, and K, L, and M the corresponding rows of the other or opposite side of the board.

In playing the game either the light-colored squares or the dark-colored squares may be occupied, as may be desired; but, as is the almost universal rule in checkers or draughts, I have illustrated the pieces on the dark squares with what is known as the doublecorners to the right.

The board illustrated shows in each row five dark squares and shows each set of pieces as consisting of five, each su bseries of fifteen, and the whole series of thirty pieces; but it will be obviousthat byincreasing or decreasing the number of squares on the board the sets, subseries, and series of pieces will be correspondingly increased or decreased.

N and O indicatethe opposite sides of the board at which the opposing players sit, and the two subseries of pieces will hereinafter be designated by these letters. The two subseries of pieces will be of different colors or will have different color-markings, so that they will, as subseries, be clearly distinguished from each other, as are the pieces in checkers or chess, and all the pieces of each subseries will be of the same color or marking. The several sets of pieces in each subseries will also be so marked or shaped as to clearly distinguish them, as sets, from each other, which may be done by placing upon them representations of various thingssuch, for instance, as the sun, moon, and stars, as shown, although any other desired charactermarkings may be used. The pieces of each set are distinguishable from each other by the number of character-markings on each, running in the instance herein illustrated from one to five. Thus the pieces marked by reference-letters A and D, with their various exponents from 1 to 5, are shown marked, respectively, with one, two, three, four, and five representations of suns, the sets marked B and E with corresponding numbers of moons, and the sets 0 and F with corresponding numbers of stars.

In playing, beginning with the pieces in the positions shown in Fig. 5, one of the are permissible in this game.

pieces of each player will be moved, then one of the other player, and so on, alternating as in chess or checkers. The moves are the same as with kings in checkers, each piece being movable one step in diagonal directions backward or forward, and if an opposing piece is next to a piece to be moved, with an unoccupied space beyond it, the player must jump such piece, landing in the unoccupied space, as in checkers, but the jumped piece must remain on the board unmoved. All the combinations of jumps and moves in checkers The object to be accomplished in this game is to move one players subseries of pieces in to the same relative positions on the opposite side of the board that they occupied on his own side of the board in the beginning, and the winner is the player who first accomplishes this result.

It might be deemed desirable under some circumstances to mark the various pieces with numbers correspont'ling with the nu mber of character-markings thereon, and Fig. 4 illustrates such a marking on the rear face of a piece, the Arabic numeral 1 being used and two such numerals being shown in inverted positions with relation to each other, whereby the number is quickly and clearly legible by each player without moving or turning the piece around.

Figs. 1 to 3 show sample pieces off the board, each being of a different set, Fig. 1 showing the third piece of a sun-marked set, Fig. 2 the third piece of a moon-marked set, and Fig. 3 the third piece of a star-marked set.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the game will be readily understood and that it will be appreciated as extremely amusing, entertaining, and instructive alike to young or old people.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. A series of game-pieces comprising two subseries of equal number distinguished from each other by color-markings each subseries beingdivided into sets of pieces distinguished by different markings progressively increasing in number from the beginning to the end of each set, substantially as described.

2. A series of game-pieces comprising two subseries of equal number-distinguished from each other by color-markings, each subseries being divided into sets of pieces distinguished by different markings progressively increasing in number from the beginning to the end of each set on the face of each piece, and inverted and upright corresponding figures on the back of the pieces, substantially as described.

3. A series of game-pieces comprising two subseries of equal number, the subseries being distinguished from each other by different color-markings, each subseries comprising sets of pieces marked with representations of the sun, moon and stars respectively, the number of such representations being different on each piece, increasing progressively from the beginning to the end of each set, substantially as described.

4. A series of game-pieces comprising two subseries of equal number, the subseries being distinguished from each other by different color-markings, each subseries comprising sets of pieces marked with representations of the sun, moon and stars, respectively, the number of such representations increasing progressively from the beginning to the end of each set, the back of each piece being marked with an upright and an inverted numeral corresponding to the number of the character markings on its face, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

CONRAD BUTTGENBAGI'I.

Witnesses:

E. H. L. MUMMENHOFF, E. P. A. BADE. 

